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Above left: Maelor is striving to produce the most productive trees Above right: The CBC has broadened its focus to encompass the selection and improvement of Norway spruce, Douglas fir, and Scots pine
promising families that can be infused into the new orchards, and useful information to guide future testing efforts.
TPIF 64: REINVIGORATING THE SCOTS PINE BREEDING PROGRAMME WITH A SOUTHERN BIAS To assemble the foundational breeding resources to create Scots pine Forest Reproductive Materials (FRM) specifically tailored to the needs of English forestry and to increase knowledge on breeding values and genetic diversity for the species as a whole. The project objectives will be achieved by:
• Creating new breeding resources - Selection and grafting of Plus Trees for addition to
existing orchards and/or creation of new orchards targeted at the English market. Collection of seed from the new Plus Trees to add into a future progeny trial.
• Extracting knowledge from existing resources: Undertaking the collection and
analysis of data from Forest Research 1987 full-sibling Scots pine progeny trials. The assessment will provide key information to guide the next generation of Scots pine breeding.
• Advancing genomic research into the species: To characterise genetic diversity
within Scots pine in England, building on DNA fingerprinting work carried out in TPIF 39 to ensure traceability of breeding lineages and verify heritage of English Plus Trees. Running comparative tests with materials from the wider UK Scots pine population and continental Europe to understand genetic diversity within and geographic origin of existing UK breeding populations.
TPIF 65: CLIMATE MATCHING AND RESILIENCE TRIAL IN SITKA SPRUCE To establish a large-scale field trial of 100 improved Sitka spruce families to:
• Directly identify responses to climate, pests and diseases.
• Allow resilient breeding lines to be identified for rapid diversification of Forest
Reproductive Materials (FRM).
• Allow recommendations to be made on breeding lines for regional conditions,
especially drier sites.
Sitka spruce is the highest yielding conifer in the UK and remains the core species
for sawmills supplying material into the construction sector. However, in some UK regions, its future viability is at risk due to climate change. The expectation is that, as rainfall patterns change, on some sites Sitka spruce will become vulnerable to pests and diseases as it is weakened by drought stress. The current breeding population has not been characterised in sufficient detail to allow Sitka spruce breeding lines to be identified for climate matching.
In order to evaluate new materials derived from the original Sitka spruce breeding population representing a genetic resource of high quality and diversity, and to verify the predicted genetic gains of this material, progeny trials will be carried out at six sites across Great Britain including drier sites to the south and the east.
This project presents a rare opportunity to fill a crucial knowledge gap by gathering data on responses to climatic conditions, along with exposure to pests and diseases. This could allow breeding lines with good drought tolerance/resistance to pathogens to be directly identified under present and future field conditions. ■
FURTHER INFORMATION
This article first appeared in the 2023 Forest Market Report, which was launched in November last year. It is reproduced by kind permission of the following:
• The UK Forest Market Report:
https://www.tilhill.com/resource-hub/publications/the-uk-forest-market-report/ • Tilhill Forestry:
https://www.tilhill.com/ • Goldcrest Land & Forestry Group:
https://goldcrestlfg.com/ • Maelor Forest Nurseries:
https://www.maelor.co.uk/ • Conifer Breeding Co-Op:
https://www.coniferbreedingcoop.co.uk/
The launch of the 2024 Forest Market Report, the theme of which is resilience, will take place on November 19 at the Signet Library in Edinburgh and November 20 at 116 Pall Mall, in London. The November 19 event will also be livestreamed. For tickets and more information, visit:
https://www.tilhill.com/resource-hub/events/the-uk-forest-market-report-2024/
www.ttjonline.com | September/October 2024 | TTJ
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